A Close Call
by steffenyp
Summary: The near loss of another member of his team makes Gibbs realize he can't hide his feelings any longer.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: A Close Call**

**Author: steffenyp**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Gibbs/OFC**

**Summary: The near loss of another member of his team makes Gibbs realize he can't hide his feelings any longer.**  
**_**

**Author's Note: This story contains my original character Leann Hollaway. This is a stand alone story not in any way connected to any of my previous stories. Also, if Gibbs seems a little out of character my apologies. I have always thought that if Gibbs ever did truly fall in love again then he would be very open with that person in private. I write him as I interpret his character, if you don't like how I write him, you don't have to read, but I would love it if you would read and review my humble little story.**

**Part 1**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't sleep. He had worked in his basement until his eyes became too blurry to focus and yet he still couldn't sleep. He had nearly lost another member of his team today, the newest member, Leann Hollaway, who had been assigned to the team to ease their work load. He had been attracted to her from the moment they met, not just physically, but there seemed to be a connection between them from the start somehow and her personality sucked you in and wouldn't let you go. She had been on the team for almost two years now and coming so close to loosing her today, had made him realize that he couldn't imagine not having her in his life.

They had been searching a warehouse for a suspect when he saw a man come up behind Leann, his gun aimed at her. Gibbs yelled her name and she turned just as the guy fired. The bullet grazed across her shoulder blades instead of hitting her in the back of the neck where it had been aimed. She came away with a vicious gash across her shoulder blades, but if she had taken the shot as it was aimed, she would be dead. If that had happened, Gibbs wasn't sure he could have stayed sane.

Gibbs had known for a while how important Leann was to him, they had become very good friends, spending much of their free time together. However, until he had experienced the near loss of her today, he hadn't realized just how important she had become to him. He wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point he had fallen in love with Leann. To his utter surprise she was the part of him that had been missing since he had lost Shannon, Leann, he realized could make him whole again.

As the full impact of his feelings for her hit him, he decided he would tell her exactly how he felt. He didn't want to loose her friendship, but if there was even the slightest chance she felt the same way about him, he was going to take the chance to be truly happy once again.

Her home was not too far from his, so he went to his truck and drove to her place. Less than ten minutes later he let himself in her front door with the key she had given him for emergencies. He needed no lights to guide him, he knew her home as well as he knew his own, so he quickly made his way to her bedroom door. Moonlight poured in her bedroom window, revealing her beautiful features to him. She lay on her stomach, the gash across her shoulders visible in the moonlight. It had been cleaned and bandaged at the hospital, but the doctor told her to leave the bandage off at night.

Gibbs approached her with every intention of waking her to talk, but seeing her bare back revealed to him in the moonlight, he decided to simply drink in her beauty. He sat down on the edge of the bed and of their own accord, his fingers began to lightly trace a line across her shoulders just below the gash. He wanted to sooth the ache he knew to be there.

He traced his fingers down the curve of her spine and back up again, marveling at the silkiness of her tanned skin. Instinct told him to look at her face and when he did, he found her green eyes open and twinkling in the moonlight. A soft smile curved her lips and she reached out and caressed his face.

"Jethro?" she whispered and in that soft utterance of his name were a thousand questions and in her eyes he saw uncertainty and hope.

"I thought I was going to loose you today. If you had died today, I would have too," he told her and she pulled the sheet up to cover herself so she could sit up to face him.

"Tony and Ziva had you covered, you wouldn't have died," she answered misunderstanding what he meant.

"Yes, I would have, because if you were gone, if you were no longer in my life, I would have no reason to live. I wouldn't want to live with half of my soul missing," he told her and before she could utter another word, he pulled her forward and kissed her.

**Author's Note #2: Okay what do you think? Do you want me to continue this? If you do then please leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Well no one seems to be reading this, but I am going to complete it for my own pleasure. **

**Part 2**

I thought I was dreaming when I first felt the feather light touches across my bare back. As I came awake though, I became aware of someone else in the room. It took me less than a minute to realize it was Gibbs, his familiar scent of coffee and sawdust surrounding me. I opened my eyes to find him sitting on the edge of the bed running his fingertips lightly over my bare back.

I was surprised by, but not offended by his actions. I had shared a lot with him over the past two years. He was my best friend, yet something more. I had decided long ago to stop being surprised by any turn our relationship took, because thus far every new aspect of my relationship with Gibbs had felt right.

Waking up to his touch was no different. It felt right and so I simply lay and watched his face as he inspected my back. With every touch the ache of my injury seemed to ease and I soon forgot it was even there. Suddenly, I was looking up into Gibbs' blue eyes and I instinctively reached out to caress his face and he closed his eyes, but not before I caught the swirl of emotion in them.

"Jethro?" I whispered in question and his eyes snapped open to once more lock with mine.

"I thought I was going to lose you today. If you had died, I would have too," he said and I pulled the sheet up to cover myself so that I could sit up and face him.

"Tony and Ziva had you covered, you wouldn't have died," I replied.

"Yes, I would have, because if you were gone, if you were no longer in my life, I would have no reason to live. I wouldn't want to live with half my soul missing," he told me.

I was stunned but before I could form another word, he pulled me forward and kissed me. At first I was too stunned to respond, but after only a moment I returned his kiss with equal passion. I had wanted him to kiss me like that for a long time, but had never even dared to dream it might actually happen.

"I love you Lea," he murmured as he let his kisses travel down the side of my neck.

"I love you too Jethro," I answered and felt myself being lowered back onto the bed.

The moment the raw skin of my shoulders came into contact with the bed, a torrent of pain shot through me, snapping both of us back to reality and wrenching a gasp from my throat. Gibbs uttered a curse, pulling me back up into a sitting position.

"I am so sorry sweetheart," he said wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against his chest, being very careful not to touch the gash across my shoulders. I was surprised to find myself trembling as fire raced across my shoulder blades and for a long moment we sat there in silence and I let the rhythm of his heart beat calm me.

"Did they give you any pain medication?" he asked nuzzling my ear.

"Yeah, it's on the bathroom counter," I answered.

"I'll go get you a dose, just lie back down and try and relax," he said and I nodded.

A few minutes later he came back with two of the pills and some water. He helped me take them and then he lay down beside me and gently wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me as close as he could without hurting me. We were both tired, but neither of us wanted to go to sleep just yet. For a long time we simply lay there in silence letting our eyes and small touches speak for us. After a while, I reached out, cupped his face in my hands, and kissed him. As the kiss deepened, I could feel his desire for me, but I could also tell he was reigning himself in.

"I'd better go," he said pressing his forehead to mine.

"I don't want you to go," I whispered.

"I know, and I don't want to go either, but I don't want you to regret anything that happens between us. We will know when the time is right, but tonight is not that time. I love you and you love me, we need a little time to figure out exactly what that means for us," he replied and I nodded reluctant agreement and he got up and started for the door.

"I will not hide my feeling for you," I told him.

"I don't expect you to and I won't hide my feeling for you either. From now on you are more than just my friend, you are my partner in every sense of the word. Get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning," he replied and that night my dreams were full of hopes for the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Well I unexpectedly got off at noon today, so I was able to get Part 3 typed up and so here it is. There will be one more part and it will be the reason this story is rated M. Please read and review.**

**Part 3**

True to his word, Gibbs did not try and hide our new closeness. He took me out to dinner nearly every night and he did not hesitate in showing his affection for me. He would hold my hand when we were out together, or we would walk close together with our arms around each other. I was getting to see a side of Gibbs that was rarely if ever seen. We had spent a lot of our free time together anyway, but when we became a couple, the free time we spent away from each other became almost non-existent as our connection grew stronger and stronger. Gibbs still needed his basement time, but now I either sat quietly with him or occupied myself in another area of his home until he was ready to have company again and he did the same for me when I needed time.

Three glorious months went by and everyone at work had finally stopped teasing us, when I was surprised when I came back to my desk to find a bouquet of flowers sitting on my desk. The flowers where arranged in a beautiful crystal vase and consisted of yellow roses, orange spray roses, pink godetia and ruscus. Wondering who they could be from, I walked over and retrieved the card from the center of the bouquet.

"The past three months have been the most amazing that I can remember in a long time. I love you very much and I'll pick you up for dinner at 1900. Jethro,"

I was blown away that the flowers were from Gibbs, but I was also thrilled that he had remembered that we had been a couple for exactly three months that day. Humming to myself I sat down at my desk to finish a report eagerly anticipating what he had planned for that night. At 1700, Gibbs came down the stairs from MTAC and looked the four of us over with a critical eye.

"Got your reports done?" he asked the room in general and we all answered him in the affirmative. "Good then, get out of here, I'll see you all at 0800 tomorrow" he barked and exchanging a quick glance, we all grabbed our stuff and headed out.

At my apartment, I scoured my closet for something to wear. I wanted to look nice but I didn't want anything too formal, but I didn't want to be real casual either. Finally I decided on a burgundy and silver sleeveless, chiffon maxi dress with a cutout lace up waist and scoop neck. The sheer skirt came down to my ankles with a liner reaching to my knees. I pulled my shoulder length strawberry blonde hair up into a French twist, letting a few strands frame my face. I accessorized with a set of silver stud earrings, a simple silver necklace and bracelet and a pair of black strappy sandals. I was giving myself one more final inspection in the mirror when my doorbell rang.

"Just a minute," I called knowing it was Gibbs and not wanting him to get impatient before I could get to the door. Opening the door I was rendered speechless by the site in front of me.

Gibbs wore what appeared to be a brand new pair of black jeans with black cowboy boots. The blue button down shirt he wore brought out the blue in his eyes and accentuated the silver in his hair. His sleeves were rolled casually to his elbows and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. To say that he looked absolutely delicious would be an understatement.

"You look stunning," he said bringing me back from my appraisal of him.

"Thank you, you look pretty magnificent yourself Agent Gibbs," I told him and moved into his arms for a kiss.

"Are you ready to go?" asked.

"Yep, just let me grab my bag," I told him grabbing the evening bag I had set on the hall table earlier.

Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me to his car and helped me into the passenger seat before climbing in himself and getting under way. He took me to a little country dance hall that I didn't even know existed and led me to a secluded table set for two, complete with candles and another bouquet of flowers.

"I meant to thank you earlier for the flowers you sent me at work," I told him taking a sniff of the purple tulips adorning our table.

"You're welcome, I wanted to do something special to show you just how much the last three months have meant to me," he replied and took my hand in his and kissed the palm. The waiter came and took our orders then, so I had to wait a moment to answer him. After taking our food and drink orders, the waiter bustled off leaving us alone in our own little world once more.

"The last three months have been amazing for me too Jethro. I never thought I could be as happy as I have been with you. I love you so much."

"I love you too Lea," he answered and music started playing. Looking around we noticed that a few people had gotten up and were starting to dance. Gibbs surprised me again when he got up, came around the table, and held his hand out to me. "Dance with me sweetheart."

He led me out onto the dance floor, pulled me close and began moving to the rhythm of the music. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest above his heart. Enjoying the feeling of his strong arms around me, I let myself concentrate on the lyrics of the song and realized that Gibbs was letting the words of the song speak for him.

_You may think that I'm talking foolish_

_You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free_

_You may wonder how I can promise you now_

_This love that I feel for you always will be_

_But you're not just time that I'm killin'_

_I'm no longer one of those guys_

_As sure as I live, this love that I give_

_Is gonna be yours until the day that I die_

_Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever_

_Forever and ever, amen_

_As long as old men sit and talk about the weather_

_As long as old women sit and talk about old men_

_If you wonder how long I'll be faithful_

_I'll be happy to tell you again_

_I'm gonna love you forever and ever_

_Forever and ever, amen_

_They say time takes its toll on a body_

_Makes a young girl's brown hair turn gray_

_Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair_

_And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway_

_They say time can play tricks on a memory_

_Make people forget things they knew_

_Well, it's easy to see it's happenin to me_

_I've already forgotten every woman but you_

_Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever_

_Forever and ever, amen_

_As long as old men sit and talk about the weather_

_As long as old women sit and talk about old men_

_If you wonder how long I'll be faithful_

_Well, just listen to how this song ends_

_I'm gonna love you forever and ever_

_Forever and ever, amen_

_I'm gonna love you forever and ever_

_Forever and ever, forever and ever_

_Forever and ever, amen_

When the song ended, Gibbs leaned in and kissed me passionately and then led me back to our table. I was so happy in that moment with him, that the rest of the night went by in a blur. After dinner, we went for a walk and then Gibbs took me back to my apartment where we reluctantly said good night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Well, this is the final part of this story. Please if you have been reading but not reviewing, please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this story.**

**Part 4**

Three more months passed and Gibbs and I became closer with every passing day. There came a time near our six month anniversary that we had a really hard case and we hadn't gotten to spend very much time alone together. We finally wrapped the case after two grueling weeks and we were all exhausted. Tony, Ziva, McGee and I were sitting at our desks finishing our reports, when Gibbs came down from the director's office and stopped in the center of our area.

"Go home, I don't want to see any of you back here before Monday at 0600," Gibbs barked.

"What about our reports, boss," McGee asked.

"The director agrees that the reports can wait until Monday and Barnhart's team is going to cover for us this weekend, now get out of here," he replied and we all grabbed our gear. I was half way to the elevator, when he called out to me. "Lea, can I talk to you for a minute."

I turned back and made my way back toward him and we just stood and looked at each other until the elevator dinged signaling the departure of our co-workers. As soon as they were behind closed doors, Gibbs pulled me into his arms and held me close. We stood there in silence for several moments just enjoying the fact that we could be so close to each other finally.

"I know you're tired and I want you to go home and get some sleep, but let me cook dinner for you tomorrow night," he whispered in my ear.

"What time?" I asked.

"1900 good for you?"

"That will be fine, I may sleep until then," I said and gave him a tired smile.

"Go home Lea, get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow night," he told me and kissed me gently but passionately.

"Love you," I said and once more headed to the elevator.

The dress I chose to wear to our dinner date the next night was simple with a slightly flaring skirt that fell to mid-calf and the color was a deep, shimmering purple. My strawberry blonde hair I decided to leave down and flowing in soft curls.

I arrived at Gibbs' house at exactly 1900 and I had barely gotten to the front door when it opened. Gibbs stood before me in a pair of dark wash jeans and a red button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, the sight of him set my heart to racing. His gaze ran over me from head to toe and an appreciative grin spread over his face.

"You are so beautiful," he told me and then moved aside so that I could enter the house.

"Thank you, you look very handsome yourself," I replied feeling a little embarrassed at my fumbling words.

Gibbs had set up a table in the living room, with a fire in the fireplace and candles scattered around the room. The table was set for two with a white table cloth with a vase in the middle holding a single orange rose and a single purple tulip, two of my favorite flowers. Soft music played in the background and the wonderful smells of dinner filled the house.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Gibbs said taking my hand and leading me to the table.

He pulled the chair out for me and seated me and then he disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with two plates of spaghetti and meatballs, a bottle of beer for himself and a glass of white wine for me. We enjoyed the meal and each other's company and I helped him clear the table when we were finished. After we cleaned the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, Gibbs asked if I would like to have another drink by the fire.

I agreed going to the couch and sitting down and he joined me a few minutes later with another beer for himself and another glass of white wine for me. I slipped my shoes off, letting the fire warm my slightly chilled feet. Noticing me warming my feet, Gibbs took them into his lap and began to rub warmth into them. We sat there for a long time simply enjoying the warmth of the fire and each other's presence. Suddenly, Gibbs looked over at me a soft smile on his lips.

"Dance with me," he said.

I nodded agreement and he pulled me to my feet and into his arms. As we swayed to the music, I let my head rest on his shoulder. After a few minutes, Gibbs pulled away from me enough to capture my lips with his. At this point, he pulled me even closer and the passion between us began to build. His hands roamed over my back as he deepened the kiss.

Needing and wanting more, I slowly let my hands slide down his shoulders. As I unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it free from the waistband of his jeans, I ran my hands across his belly, up his chest and across his shoulders to slide his shirt off. It fluttered to the floor and settled in a puddle at our feet.

Gibbs brought his hands up to my face and pulled me in for a mind blowing kiss, letting his hands slide down my neck, pushing the straps of my dress down my arms. As the dress slid off, I brought my hands up to stroke Gibbs' cheeks. Gibbs pulled away slightly, to look at and touch my skin, while my hands drifted down to the bulge in his jeans, eliciting a low growl from him. I reached for the button of his jeans, pushing them down his legs. I pulled away and knelt down to take his boots off one by one, letting him step out of them and his jeans.

I stood up and watched Gibbs run his eyes up and down my lingerie clad body. Smiling, I returned his appraisal and my breath caught when I saw how muscular he really was. As our gazes met, we walked toward each other, reaching out for one another and our mouths came together in a fiery kiss.

Slowly, Gibbs lowered me to the floor in front of the fireplace and stretched his body across mine. As he kissed me, I ran my hands up and down his sides and across his back. I felt him shudder with pleasure at my touch and that made me want him even more. Gibbs kissed his way down my neck towards my breasts as he slowly removed the lingerie from my body. He brought his hands up and encircled my breasts, licking and suckling my nipples. I gasped arching my back. He slid his arm around me holding me in place as he began to nip and kiss his way down my body. As Gibbs worked his way down my body, he released his grip on me and eased my legs apart. I shivered with pleasure and jumped fiercely when his mouth made contact with my center. I moaned loudly when he found just the right spot. When Gibbs slipped a finger inside me, I let out a harsh gasp of pleasure and began running my fingers through his hair.

"Oh Jethro," I gasped feeling as if I would go insane with the pleasure of his touch. I could feel the desire building and with a loud cry of his name, I felt my body tighten and give the ultimate response to Gibbs' loving ministrations. Gibbs worked his way back up my body to crush my mouth with his. He pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes watching my face intently as he slid slowly inside me. Gibbs began to move very slowly in and out not wanting to rush our joining.

Gibbs moved his arms under my legs, raising my hips a little higher and began to increase his pace slightly. I cried out at the change in position and I responded by grabbing his legs, giving myself leverage to move against him. Suddenly, Gibbs changed position again, putting my feet against his chest, opening me up to him fully. He grabbed me by the knees, thrusting himself even faster into me. As he changed position, I began to moan loudly and the tension built to a level neither of us had ever imagined. My inner muscles contracted and tightened around him throwing him and me over the abyss into waves of ecstasy. Gibbs slowly lowered my legs and leaned down to gently kiss me.

"You are amazing," he said, fire dancing in his eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," I answered reaching up to trace the lines of his face. After several moments of just staring at each other, Gibbs moved to lie beside me and pulled me close against his side.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too," I answered and we lay there in silence letting our minds drift in how happy we were together.

"I never thought I could find another person who completed me. I've tried, but I haven't felt whole since Shannon died, not until I met you. There was just something about you from the very beginning that made me feel different than any other woman has. When I'm with you, I fell whole again," he told me and suddenly he shifted so that he was pinning me to the floor. "Will you marry me?" he asked. I was a little stunned at the intensity of his gaze and the suddenness of his proposal, but I knew without a doubt that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

"Jethro, I have felt a connection to you from the day we met and I have belonged to you from the moment I woke up to your touch six months ago. I have loved you almost from the moment we met and I feel whole when I am with you too, so yes, I will marry you and the sooner the better," I answered and kissed him which led to another round of love making.

Two weeks later we were married in a private ceremony witnessed by only a few close friends and family and each day our commitment grew stronger. A year later I gave birth to our daughter whom we named Kaitlynn Grace and two years after her arrival, our son Anthony Levi was born. Kaitlynn inherited my looks but her father's personality and thank the Lord that Levi got his father's looks but my personality. Our children grew up in a loving home with a huge extended family and provided Jethro and I with much happiness and many, many grandchildren.

**The End**


End file.
